Travel Tuesday: A New Guide to Old Florida Attractions

by Pineapple Press • 24th October, 2017

Spook Hill is an oddity that’s been around for decades. It is a small rise located near Lake Wales. You pull your car up to a white line, put it in neutral and roll back while looking at the horizon to the right and left. By the slopes of the adjoining countryside, you wonder why you would be rolling backwards and not forward. It’s a simple optical illusion from a simpler time, and it’s free! A sign explains the legend of Spook Hill: “Ages ago an Indian town on Lake Wales Lake was plagued with raids by a huge gator. The town’s great warrior chief and the gator were killed in a final battle that created the huge swampy depression nearby. The chief was buried on its north side. Later, pioneer haulers coming from the old army trail atop the ridge above found their horses laboring there… at the foot of the ridge… and called it Spook Hill. Is it the gator seeking revenge, or the chief protecting his land?” The adjacent elementary school adopted the attraction’s name and creatively adopted Casper the Friendly Ghost as its mascot.